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Monday, June 11, 2012

Dads day

I started this post as an add on to a post by @daddysincharge titled Dads don't babysit. But suddenly I was looking at this as an homage to my husband as a father, and what a nice father's day post this would be...

Three days after Ranger was born, I stayed home to accept delivery of our brand new bed while E took our newborn for his first doctor's appointment. This was shocking to some and a pleasant surprise to others (I miss that pediatrician, but alas they are on the UWS and we are not).

I remember someone (forget who) being genuinely surprised that I "let" E do the baby's diaper and "let" E bathe him. Wasn't I worried he'd do it wrong?

But by stepping back and giving E space to find his own way of parenting, I have a true partner.

I have someone who can step in when I am at wits end with the "one more story, read story!" bedtime whining, and can work magic - a sleeping toddler in record time. Just as I step in when he is sick of the whining.

I have someone who can be everything when I need to sleep in or when I'm sick (or like last summer, on crutches). And when we have two I will know that I can focus on one child at a time while the other gets quality daddy time.

Best of all Ranger has moments with his daddy that are going to stay with him forever. For instance, he might not remember looking at rocks on the rocky beach (where I could not safely walk as someone 8mo pregnant), but he might look at the pictures and remember the story of how his excitement over the experience was shared with his dad...who knew about the types of rocks and the possibility of fossils.

Dads don't baby sit. They may have a different method of doing things (order of operations for bath time) but by no means does that indicate they aren't parenting.

Dads are very special to their children!

I am very happy that Ranger and his little brother will have a deep, wordless understanding of their father's love.